There is a specified order for the arrangement of the medals upon the holding bar, the medal of the oldest date being worn nearest the center line of the coat and the others in order of precedence, according to the date of the event for which conferred, toward the left shoulder of the wearer.
With undress and service uniforms in lieu of the medals and badges sections of the ribbons from which they are suspended are worn. These ribbons of medals and badges are each equal in length to the full width of the ribbon and three-eighths of an inch wide. Ribbons of medals and badges are worn on the left breast of the coat in the same relative position as the medals and badges which they represent. In case the wearer has received so many that there is not room on the coat to wear them in one row, they are arranged in two rows.
The medals and badges, or the ribbons worn in their stead with undress and service uniforms, show the special military honors which have been conferred upon the wearer and the wars and campaigns in which he has seen active service, and a knowledge of the designs of these bits of metal and of the bright colored strips of silk will often give a fair idea of the services and honors of the man who wears them.
The founders of the United States of America looked askance upon anything that savored of monarchical government and as a result we find that the Constitution provides that,
“No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States; and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince or foreign state.”
Bars of distinctive ribbons of United States Government medals. Worn by officers and men upon whom the medals have been conferred with dress, undress, service dress and evening dress uniforms.
Following out this early mandate the regulations of the present day forbid the wearing by the officers and enlisted men of the services of the United States of any medal or decoration granted by any foreign state or ruler, although the Congress has in a number of instances authorized officers and enlisted men to receive such decorations.
In the early days of the republic Congress on several occasions passed resolutions of thanks to commanders on land and sea whose forces had won notable victories, and these resolutions generally provided for the striking of a medal to commemorate the victory and for a sword of honor to be presented by the government to the victorious commander, but these medals were not intended to be worn with the uniform.
It was not until 1861 that Congress authorized the first medal to be worn as a special badge of honor by soldiers who had especially distinguished themselves in the military service of the country. This decoration was officially styled the “Medal of Honor.”